"Talon, come over here please,"

Kroova sat patiently, waiting for her mate. He was wrestling with Rosa, one of the younger queens, and teaching her some of the finer points of the art. Kroova watched them for a moment. Rosa was keeping her back stiff; that would slow her down in any fight. She decided to help out the pair.

"Rosa, loosen your back," she called. "Or else you'll never end up on top."

Without a word, the brown tabby queen did as she was instructed, and suddenly found the strength to flip Talon on his back. She placed her paw, her razor sharp claws unsheathed, on his throat, and announced, "Dead."

"Impressive," Talon said as she let him up. "That's the first time ye've beaten me, Ro."

"Thanks," Rosa was beaming. Kroova chuckled to herself; the tabby had confided in her that beating Talon had been her goal for months now. Talon glanced at his mate, and grinned, and Kroova knew the battle wasn't over. The gold tom suddenly pinned Rosa on her back, and pressed is teeth gently into her neck. "Dead," he whispered.

Rosa gasped. "I can't believe I let me guard down," she lamented. Talon let her up, and she went off to find her brothers, probably to tell them about her fight.

"Shall we go next?" Talon joked. Kroova nuzzled him, purring.

"You know how I feel about fighting," she said softly.

"Mm, yeah. Always the pacifist." He chuckled and kissed her lightly. "So what did ye call me for?"

"Taru said her cousin invited us to a celebration with his tribe," Kroova explained. "We'll be leaving morning after next."

"Where is it?"

"London. Well, more like the countryside of London," Kroova said. "Taru said it's in a junkyard."

Talon studied Kroova's face for a moment. "Do you think it's the same one?" he asked softly. He'd been the only one she told where she had left Pike. Kroova closed her eyes and hugged Talon, burying her face in his fur.

"I sincerely hope not."

=^..^=

Vail strutted through the warehouse, glaring at any cat who dared come close. She wasn't a year old yet; she only had about two months to go, but she acted just as old and mature as her father. She smiled smugly at the thought. One word that Macavity was her father and cats practically fell to their knees. Or plotted against her life.

The ginger patch on her left ear had become her most prized possession, as it seemed to give her authority and power. She felt energy crackling through her, and she casually sent a bolt of lightning off in a random direction, chuckling when she heard a cat call out in pain. She climbed some steep, narrow stairs, headed for her father's den.

She pushed open the door to find the Hidden Paw in his usual spot; stretched out on the old arm chair. She didn't wait to approach him; just one more perk about being related.

"I have a request for you, father."

Macavity resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Vail was certainly a bold queen, but she was too predictable.

"You wish to have a…" Macavity pondered for a moment. "Nickname for yourself? That is something I cannot give you. You have to earn it."

Vail raised an eyebrow. "Actually I wanted to attend the Jellicle Ball."

Macavity let sparks fly. "Why would I let you do that?" He whirled around to face his daughter, pleased to see that—even though her arms were folded across her chest—she, too had sparks gathered around her paws.

"Because you have a date with a certain white queen that night."

Macavity smiled. Maybe Vail wasn't as obvious as he thought. "You are right," he said. "Griddlebone did ask me to meet with her that night. But how did you know?"

Now it was Vail's turn to smile. "I've taught myself a trick or two." She said nonchalantly.

Macavity returned to his chair, thinking it over. If he let her go, he would be free of the stubborn queen for almost a whole night. None of the Jellicles knew about her, so they would let their guard down and let her in. He smiled, a plan forming in his mind.

"You may go," He said after a moment. "But I have something for you to do." He strode over to a locked cabinet, opened it, and pulled out a tiny vial of molasses-like liquid. He held the bottle up for her to see. "This is one of the most deadly poisons in the world. All you have to do is get one drop on any creature's fur, and they will be affected. It takes about two years to work, and the whole time the one who was poisoned is in pain. I want you to poison both Deuteronomy and Munkustrap."

Vail grinned wickedly, snatching the bottle away. "It shall be done as you command," she vowed.

=^..^=

Pike sat with his friend Arden as they watched several queens in secret.

"Who are you going to ask?" Pike asked. He was barely old enough to dance, but he was still timid and shy around queens.

Arden watched a cream-colored queen as she gracefully practiced the Invitation. She lifted one leg high in the air, and even from the distance, Pike and Arden could tell she had no trouble at all keeping her balance. "I think I'm gonna ask her," he said, pointing to the queen.

"Sahne?" Pike cocked his head. "She's weird."

"Not as weird as Liebe," Arden countered. "That queen still looks like she's only five months old."

"Hey guys," Another young tom plopped down beside them, his headfur in a terrible mess—as always.

"Hey Romeo," Pike smiled. "Who are you asking to the Ball?"

"Meh, I don't know." The tiger tabby shrugged, flipping onto his back. "I'll just figure it out when we're dancing."

"You know who you sound like right now?" Arden challenged. Romeo propped himself up on his elbow, waiting for Arden to continue. "You sound like Tugger."

Romeo grinned cockily. "That's the point," he said. "Tug's been giving me some pointers, and I think I've got them down."

Arden rolled his eyes and Pike rested his chin on his crossed arms. Suddenly, Pike felt his fur standing on end.

"I'm going for a walk," he said casually. He knew what happened when his fur rose up. Arden and Romeo waved, returning their attention to the queens. As Pike walked off, he heard Romeo say, "Willow's not bad looking,"

Pike hurried through the junkyard, headed for the entrance. He ducked through a long pipe, settling down in the middle of it to wait. He jumped as a paw covered his mouth.

"You are so jumpy," Vail commented dryly as she pulled him out the other end of the pipe.

"I wouldn't be if you didn't sneak up on me like that," Pike protested. But he knew his sister too well; she loved making other's jump.

"Whatever," Vail said. She led him to a large bowl filled with water, and Pike could see the pink clouds of sunset reflected on the surface. "They're coming," she said quietly, glancing at the water.

Pike was silent. "Here?"

Vail looked at her twin, her eyes not unfriendly. "You have just as much power as me. Why don't you take a look?"

"I…" Pike swallowed. "I don't really want her to come back," his voice was almost inaudible.

Vail sighed, and crawled over to her brother, pulling him into a tight hug. "Neither do I, but we can't stop that. I was watching yesterday, and she said Taru's cousin invited them. You know those barn cats; they'll come to be polite."

"Stinking Mistoffelees," Pike muttered darkly. "Why did he have to invite them anyway?"

"I don't know," Vail said. They sat in silence for a long while, until Vail pulled away. "Well, go ahead and try," she gestured to the bowl of water.

Pike frowned at the liquid, concentrating. A rush of air and a small glow made him open his eyes. There, on the surface of the water, a scene unfurled.

Kroova was laying next to Talon, her eyes half open. She couldn't sleep because she knew exactly where they would be going the next morning. She tried not to think of him, but her son was taking up all her thoughts. She wondered what Pike had grown into; a strong and brave tom, or maybe a gentile creature with no more love for battle and sorrow than her. She wondered if he would recognize her face, and what he would do if he did.

Then her thoughts turned to Vail. Kroova wondered if she was still alive, or if Macavity had done away with her. She wondered if she would ever see the sweet little queen again…

Kroova's thoughts were broke as Griffyn entered, her stomach swollen slightly. "We've changed our plans," the calico said. "We'll be leaving as soon as yer ready. Mistoffelees suggested we come early and acquaint ourselves with the rest of his tribe."

"Alright," Kroova sighed, and turned to shake Talon awake. He sat up, yawning as Kroova conveyed the message to him.

"Well then," he said, standing up. "I guess we'll be leaving now."

Pike let the vision fade back into the water, and he was surprised to find tears tracking down his cheeks. He didn't realize his mother cared that much about him. Vail dipped her paws into the water, swirling the contents around; she'd seen the vision too.

"They'll be slowed down because of Griffyn, but they'll be here within the week." She mused. She was toying with a tiny vial, which glinted in what little light of day there was left.

"What's that?" Pike asked, though he had a hunch about its origins.

Vail glanced down at the bottle. "Macavity wants me to poison Deuteronomy and Munkustrap," she said quietly. "It's the first time he's told me to kill anyone," She looked uncertainly at the bottle.

"How does it work?" Pike asked, holding out a paw for the vial. Taking it off the cord around her neck, she held it out for him. Pike examined the contents carefully, fascinated by the way the liquid oozed in the bottle.

"It only takes one drop on the victim's skin, and it seeps into their bloodstream. Then it makes them progressively sick for the next two years before they die from so much pain."

"Huh," Pike held it up to the sky, peering through it at the setting sun. It was a dark red color. "What would he do if you didn't poison them?"

"Well, he wouldn't kill me, that's for sure," Vail said. Pike half-smiled as he recognized the cocky tone in his sister's voice. "I've got too much power for him to just get rid of. He would probably banish me with a death sentence on my head, though."

"So you have to go back with two drops gone?" Pike affirmed. An idea was forming in his head.

Vail nodded. "He told me not to come back unless I poisoned both Munkustrap and Deuteronomy."

"Sounds like a tough scrape to be in," he muttered, handing the bottle back to Vail.

"You have no idea," Vail huffed.

[A/N] Okay, so recap:

-Kroova left on the day of the Jellicle ball, making this about a year since she left the Jellicles

-Taru is Mistoffelees' cousin

-Kroova is now mated with Taru's brother, Talon

-Rosa is the queen kit who joined in the Macavity fight at the barn oh-so-long-ago

-Vail and Pike know they are brother and sister, and know that their mom lives in Ireland. Pike doesn't like the fact that Vail works for Macavity, but accepts it because he knows he can't do squat about it. Pike also has just as much power as Vail, but hides it from the Jellicles because that would link him to Macavity—I think of it as a kind of power: Misto has one kind; Vail, Pike, and Macavity have another kind. If the Jellicles saw Pike use his power, they would recognize it as like Macavity's.

-Random bit of information: the rest of the barn kits names are: Lizarre (queen), Tamm (tom), Mercuos (tom) -- these two fought Macavity, and Wallen (tom)